Ford is currently developing a new autonomous drive technology that could make driving in congestion considerably less stressful. Traffic Jam Assist is designed to help the driver by keeping the vehicle centred within the lane markings and also brakes and accelerates the car to ensure that it keeps pace with the vehicle in front.

The system is activated by pushing a button on encountering a traffic jam and can then identify the position of vehicles in front of it by using a grille-mounted radar device and the location of lane markings using a front-facing camera behind the windscreen. The driver is able to take control of the car again whenever they want by using the pedals, the steering wheel or indicators. The system will also monitor if the driver is using the steering wheel.

If the system detects that the driver isn’t using it, it will issue acoustic and visual warnings, the frequency of which will vary, depending on the car’s speed and location. The driver still needs to be alert to the traffic around them and be prepared to take control of the car.

Ford argues that for many drivers, experiencing heavy traffic on the way on the way to work can leave them stressed and angry, even before the work day begins. Traffic Jam Assist helps reduce this stress.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

A Chinese takeaway chef from Coventry, Yanseen Lin, got someone else to turn up to take his driving theory test because he couldn’t speak English. He had previously attempted the test in Chinese, but when foreign language tests were scrapped, a further test was booked in English.

He was due to attend to take the test in July last year, but instead another man turned up and produced Lin’s provisional driving licence. The document was examined, and the test centre employee immediately realised the man in front of her was not the same person whose photograph was on the licence. As a further check, that man was asked questions including when he had previously sat the test and what email address he had used to book the test. And when he could not answer the questions, he was turned away from the centre and not allowed to take the test.

Lin was traced and arrested in January this year whilst the man who turned up for the test hasn’t been traced. He said he had booked the test with the aid of a friend whose email address he used, but denied getting someone else to take it for him. Lin claimed he had lost his licence, but did not know where and had not reported it, and he could not explain how someone else had ended up with his licence and the details of when to turn up for the test.

It was pointed out to him through a Mandarin interpreter that the test had been booked in English, which would have been of no use if he had intended to sit it himself but he could not explain that either.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s no doubt that you will be out and about over the coming days preparing for the day, getting the last bits of Christmas shopping done, and visiting family and friends over the festive season.

However if you will be on the roads over the next few days, do remember to practise driving safely. With the combination of cold, possibly icy weather and snow, as well as a higher number of people on the roads, it can be dangerous to drive at this time of year.

Safe driving from Britannia!

The Labour peer criticised the Mayor of London as he spoke of his fury about traffic caused in central London due to the building works of a cycle superhighway. ‘Alan from the City’ called LBC’s feature ‘Ask Boris’ to challenge the Mayor of London to travel with him on his horrendous commute into the city from Essex.

In London, by far the most congested city in Europe, traffic is worse than ever with motorists wasting 13 entire days of their lives each year stuck in jams.

Delays are expected to continue until May next year as workers construct the segregated £47million Crossrails for cyclists route, which runs via Hyde Park Corner, Parliament, Blackfriars and the Tower of London.

Lord Sugar, unsatisfied by Boris Johnson’s apology, argued that cyclists should have some form of identification on them. Mr Johnson warned that clamping down on cyclists could be an infringement of human rights.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

It’s finally arrived – The day of the driving test is here, and the culmination of all your hard work as a learner driver is about to pay off!

Just make sure that you are fully prepared – Don’t just assume that you are going to pass, but instead maximise your chances of passing. This involves everything from the moment you wake up to the second your test comes to an end, and everything in between – Eat a good breakfast, get up and leave the house early enough to get to the test centre on time, think ahead and if possible, practise some manoeuvres or show-me-tell-me questions.

Good luck on the day – We’re sure you’ll do fine!

Safe driving from Britannia!

Transport has been disrupted after Storm Desmond brought winds, torrential rain and flooding to parts of the UK.

Cumbria was worst-hit by flooding with a number of roads closed. In Scotland about 28 flood warnings and alerts are in place with some main roads closed owing to landslides and flooding. There are no trains running between England and Scotland via Preston, while road restirictions are in place on the A66 and other routes.

In North Yorkshire, officers cordoned off the junction of Tadcaster Road and St Helen’s Road, in York, for two hours on Saturday after North Yorkshire Police said St Edward’s Church had become dangerous to passers-by and drivers. Motorists were told to avoid the area. In some of the worst affected areas in the Yorkshire Dales, one car became stuck in flood water on the A684 between Appersett and Hawes after water levels rose above 3ft. The road was impassable throughout the weekend.

Safe driving from Britannia Driving School!

Let us know your thoughts on this article by using the comments link below:

A woman has been charged after ignoring a road closure sign resulting in her car becoming submerged in the floods at Kelso in the Scottish Borders.

The 49-year-old drove past the sign and through two barriers whilst attempting to enter Kelso last week. Her car became immersed in water and was swept down the river becoming wedged between two trees.

The driver has been charged and police in the Scottish Borders have issued advice for drivers following the severe weather over the past few days. The advice also focuses on the importance of adhering to road closures, and the dangers of ignoring advice from the emergency services.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

One of the most common reasons driving test candidates will give for failing their driving test is nerves – Almost all qualified drivers will tell you how nerve-racking it can be to sit the test and the effect this may have had on their performance.

The best way to beat the driving test nerves is to be fully prepared – Get to know your car or your instructors car inside out, and practise those manoeuvres until you’re sure you can do them with your eyes closed (Although Britannia does not recommend attempting this!)

Once you are fully prepared, you should pass the test with flying colours.

Safe driving from Britannia!

Two-thirds of motorists who drive after drinking alcohol would not have drink at all if the drink-driving limit was reduced, according to a survey. The Populus survey findings have prompted alcohol and public health campaigners to urge minister to impose Scotland’s lower limit across the rest of the UK.

The legal blood-alcohol limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 80mg per 100ml, is one of the highest in Europe. Only Malta allows people to have more alcohol in their body when driving.

Scotland last year reduced its limit to 50mg, a move credited with cutting drink-driving offences by 5%. Extending the same policy UK-wide would save lives and lead many drivers to be more responsible, it is claimed.

In the Populus survey, 568 of the 1,833 people who took part said they had driven after drinking alcohol. Of those who had, 66% said they would not drink at all if the limit was lowered. The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), which commissioned the survey, said that was because some would be unsure how much it was safe to consume and others would decide it was not worth drinking at all.

While consuming any alcohol at all increases the chance of having an accident while behind the wheel, research shows that drivers who are just under the current 80mg limit are twice as likely to die in crash than those just under the 50mg limit campaigners are backing.

The 5% fall in drink-driving offences in Scotland in the year since it introduced the lower limit shows that people have changed their behaviour and are drinking less before getting behind the wheel.

What are your thoughts on this article? Send your views to Britannia Driving School by using the comments link below:

One of the problems with learning to drive can be the cost of lessons – Of course, as a learner driver you really need to be having weekly lessons to stay up to date and keep fresh with your skills behind the wheel, but it can be expensive to maintain all these lessons in a relatively short space of time leading up to your driving test.

So what if you could start driving from a younger age?

Jaguar has recently revealed a scheme called “Jaguar First” to allow drivers as young as 11 to take lessons in its XE Saloon car – With qualified driving instructors taking youngsters onto tracks designed to replicate real-world driving conditions in a plan to improve driving safety in teen drivers.

What are your thoughts on this scheme? Let us know in the comment section below!

Safe driving from Britannia!